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Mr. Sandeep Mathur |
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CASE Construction Equipment sells and supports a full line of construction equipment worldwide, including the No. 1 loader/backhoes, excavators, motor graders, wheel loaders, and more. Through CASE dealers, customers have access to a true professional partner with world-class equipment and aftermarket support, industry-leading warranties and flexible financing. Mr. Sandeep Mathur, India CE Brand Leader, CASE India, in conversation with CE&CR, shares his views on loaders’ demand, trends, production in India, and more.
Civil Engineering and Construction Review: Do you think the Indian earthmoving equipment market has evolved to global norms on both sides of the value chain, demand and supply?
Sandeep Mathur: The Indian earthmoving equipment market has evolved a lot in the past couple of years, along with the various parameters that affect the demand and supply in this sector. Recently, the government announced several projects with NHAI that will generate demand for this equipment. 7,000 projects have been identified under the National Infrastructure Pipeline, projecting a Rs. 111 lakh crore investment during 2020-25. To complement this, the government is taking steps and announcing policies so that India becomes a manufacturing hub, ensuring that there are no supply chain gaps in fulfilling the generated demand. The Indian construction equipment market is projected to cross $4.7 billion by 2025 on anticipated growth in the construction industry, increasing foreign investments, and the rising number of smart city projects. The Indian market has evolved considerably in the past and continues to do so.
CE&CR: What is your opinion about the current market scenario of the earthmoving equipment segment? What will spur demand for earthmoving equipment in the upcoming years?
Sandeep Mathur: The pandemic has slowed down all businesses and markets, including the earthmoving equipment sector. However, due to various government initiatives, the sector is opening up now and heading towards recovery.
The Ministry has permitted building 34,800 km of national highways in 5 years with an expected cost of Rs. 5.35 lakh crore in Phase-I of Bharatmala Pariyojana, and the NHAI has been mandated to build 27,500 km. The Ministry is also working to reduce arbitration cases and has eased the land acquisition process. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has hinted towards the incoming of more projects in the Rs. 111 lakh crore National Infrastructure Pipeline. We’re hopeful that such initiatives will boost the sector and have a positive effect on equipment demand as well.
CE&CR: Which major sectors and projects are you currently associated with, where your earthmoving equipment are used?
Sandeep Mathur: At CASE, our diverse product portfolio, consisting of Backhoe Loaders, Compactors, Skid Steer Loaders, Graders and Crawler Dozers allows us to be associated with various sectors. Road and highway construction, quarrying, mining, agriculture, urban infrastructure and recycling are some of the sectors where our products are used. As far as projects are concerned, Sagarmala, Bharatmala, Pradhan Mantri gram Sadak Yojna and Trilateral Highway (India-Myanmar-Thailand Highway) are a few prestigious projects where our machines are currently deployed.
At CASE, we believe in creating quality products that increase efficiency and enhance productivity for our customers.
CE&CR: What role will the latest technology trends play in the Atmanirbhar India initiative’s success, which aims to transform India into a self-sufficient manufacturing power?
Sandeep Mathur: Technology will play a crucial role in revolutionizing the manufacturing industry in India. To develop smart manufacturing processes, we’ll need to adopt advanced technologies like IoT, automation, etc., which reduce downtime and increase productivity and efficiency. Industry 4.0 brings this revolution by combining traditional processes with digital tools to create smart and effective solutions. However, it’s difficult to predict the adoption of new technology in a country like India. Unlike the west, we do have challenges in terms of adequate training and education. And, we’re positive that these challenges can be tackled and the country’s vision to become a manufacturing hub can come to fruition.
CE&CR: Where do you see your earthmoving equipment with regards to ‘Design in India’ and ‘Engineer in India’ and ‘Make in India’?
Sandeep Mathur: The Make in India movement has gained prominence over the last few months due to the pandemic. However, at CASE, we already have a world-class manufacturing plant in Pithampur, where we’ve been locally producing our construction equipment range. Our plant has recently been certified Bronze Level in the World Class Manufacturing (WCM) program. WCM is one of the global manufacturing industry’s highest standards for integrating manufacturing plants and processes. Products from our plant are also exported to the markets of Africa, South East Asia, Russia, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Middle East countries. We’ve always believed in the potential of our country and will continue to do so.
CE&CR: How would you analyze the role of Industry 4.0 in the new normal with the COVID-19 outbreak?
Sandeep Mathur: Technological advancement is an essential part of the CE industry and now even more so. Currently, digitalization is bringing the fourth industrial revolution, aka Industry 4.0. It is combining traditional manufacturing with digital tools to allow collaboration in real-time. Industry 4.0 will take simply the day to day work. According to a report by Mckinsey, by harnessing industry 4.0 tools like IoT, AI and automation, processes will see 30 to 50% reduction in machine downtime; 15 – 30% improvement in labour productivity; 10 to 30% increase in throughput; and 10 to 20% decrease in the cost of quality. Industry 4.0 will enable us to decrease labour dependency and create smart and intuitive products for the future with higher efficiency productivity and low downtime.